Author: Rashneek Kher
Publication: Vijayvaani.com
Date: May 4, 2009
URL: http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=550
Che Kamyu Kareneay taveez pan
Yaaro van bale yaaro van
Who hath cast thy spell on thou?
Speak up my friend, speak up
Wahab Khar, the 18th century poet, probably
had the power to see future. How else does one explain the above verse, unless
he knew that Sajjad Lone, the most vociferous of the Kashmir separatists,
would one day take a U-turn (strategic, not ideological, let us be clear)
and join the election fray.
Intrigue has always been a part of Kashmir's
history, and Kashmir's leaders have more often that not been treacherous and
perfidious. Sajjad Lone can be no exception.
After all he is following in the footsteps
of his illustrious father, who was first a minister in the Government of Jammu
and Kashmir. But when the tide of separatism engulfed the valley, he, too,
changed colours and became a separatist. As they say in Kashmir, once a turncoat,
always a turncoat.
Abdul Ghani Lone was about to don his old
colours when rival separatist gangs got a whiff of his intent, and killed
him. Sajjad and Bilal had a chance to speak up then, but the fear of death
at the hands of terrorists got the better of them. If you can't beat them,
join them.
Bilal joined the Hurriyat Conference. Sajjad
kept to his People's Conference because the Hurriyat did not want him. They
were wary of him for various reasons, the primary being his proximity to some
sections of the Indian Establishment.
Sajjad, who spends more time outside the valley,
found support from the liberal media and some sections of the chatteratti,
and thus was propelled to the national television screens as a "a separatist
leader" (sic). It was of little consequence that he enjoyed little or
no support at the ground. His English speaking abilities and suave ways became
his passport for leadership - not least because of his connections with the
Editors of English news channels.
Then came his big moment! The Amarnath agitation
divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir as never before. The Congress-PDP coalition
government cancelled the temporary allocation of land for Amarnath pilgrims,
which led to protests in Jammu. Sajjad Lone scoffed to Arnab Goswami (Times
Now), "Are you comparing the agitation in a few Mohallas in Jammu to
that of a Pan-Kashmir Agitation?"
Then, as the agitation intensified and gained
ground, he told Rajdeep Sardesai (CNN-IBN) "We should give one and half
district to Jammu and live peacefully." Matters reached a crescendo when
he shouted at Dr. Jitendra Singh in Barkha Dutt's programme that "the
land row is settled, all that is to be settled is Azadi." He even wanted
Jitendra Singh's mike to be muted. Sajjad was arrogant and rude, to say the
least. He was so vocal about being a Kashmiri separatist that he forgot ordinary
human decencies; he howled instead of debating.
Soon elections were round the corner. The
separatists, including Sajjad, gave a boycott call, but a determined Election
Commission went ahead with the election schedule. Sajjad was once again the
most vocal face of the boycotters. Even on the day when the first phase figures
came out and 64% electorate had cast its votes, he told Arnab Goswami "One
swallow does not make a spring. Wait, there still is six more phases".
Meanwhile, his sister Shabnam Lone, also stood
for elections. He swore by the Holy Quran that he had nothing to do with her
candidature. He said he did not support the farce called elections. He renewed
his calls for boycott and his sister lost.
Election results were announced. Sajjad was
forlorn and dejected. He seemed to have lost the guftaar (art of conversation),
though he still maintained that he did not regret his decision to boycott
polls. He was suddenly seen biting dust. He called for introspection, but
then who would have thought that this would be introspection.
His introspection will be to swear in the
name of the Indian Constitution. Whether he represents Kashmir in India or
India in Kashmir is mere semantics. Doesn't Sharad Pawar represent Maharashtra
in India and India in Maharashtra?
A word is due to our columnists who see this
as a "paradigm shift" in Kashmir politics, who believe that Lone
is a "moderate voice" among separatists, and who believe that his
"Achievable Nationhood Document" was Godsend to Kashmir.
Such columnists should spend some more time
in Kashmir and go beyond what they see from their exotic shikaras. They should
talk to normal Kashmiris and know what the Lone U-turn means. It is time to
stop stirring spittle, time to stop telling us that in the last Assembly elections
Kashmiris voted for Bijli, Sadak, Paani and not for India. Do alienated journos
think we are so dumb as to believe that all these years Kashmiris did not
need Bijli, sadak and Paani? Go drink some water at Chasme Shahi; it is believed
to have medicinal values that cure brain disorders.
One sincerely hopes that the establishment
allows the elections to be free and fair and does not in any way or form aid
the candidature of Sajjad Lone. It is only then that we will all know how
much of a leader Sajjad is outside the television studios.
Only time will tell if he is elected or not,
or if the Sonia-led Congress Government covertly gets him to the Parliament
or not. What we know for sure is that his U-turn only reflects the direction
of the wind in Kashmir. The signals are loud and clear. In the days and months
to come, separatists have more dust to bite. Wait for some more U-turns!!!
- The writer is co-founder of the Kashmiri Pandit Group - Roots in Kashmir
